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Just tips about daily life and how I see the world posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:30am. Check back often to see my newest posts!
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GUEST POST: 5 Common Travel Phobias!

5 Common Travel Phobia

Most seasoned travelers will tell you that they still experience fear when leaving home. Fears are normal and can be a good thing. Fears help us make better choices and make us wary of our surroundings. However, some common travel phobias become a nuisance and stop them from traveling at all.

When fears become phobias life can be altered and hindered. It is these fears that I want to discuss today. Ultimately I want to help you overcome these more than unwanted phobias so that you can explore your world and make milestone memories.

Common Travel Phobias

There is a plethora of travel phobias and a way that fear can stall you travel dreams. So here I am going to cover the top 5 that are the most common. Many times phobias become intangled and overlap each other. You will find similarities in these 5 travel phobias. Phobias pretty much all present them selfs in the same manner. I invite and encourage you to share your experiences below. Travel fear is completely normal, the difference between fear and phobia is whether you let it limit you or not.

Hodophobia - In its simplest form is the fear of travel. Hodophobia is the intense and irrational fear of travel. It is really a very personalized phobia and manifests in many different ways. I will tell you that I experienced this before my first trip overseas. My two sons and I would embark on our first overseas trip. The causes of hodophobia are as vast as the seas. Each person experiences are directly affected by past events, genetics and/or individual experiences. Where one person may be afraid to travel by car due to an accident when they were young. Another may have problems navigating an airport due to loss of control.

Aviophobia - The fear of flying is one of the main reasons behind not traveling. The National Institute of Mental Health says fear of flying, known as aviophobia, affects 6.5 percent of the population. Did you know that 6.5 percent is 20 million people or more! That is completely understandable when you consider the large crowds, numerous and confusing gates. Then the sensations you experience during take-off, landings and let’s not forget turbulence. So feeling apprehension or a minor case of aviophobia is normal.

Mazeophobia - Have you ever been lost while you were traveling? Did you experience a moment of panic? Maybe you experienced shortness of breath and a racing heart rate. Then you had a mazeophobia moment. Mazephobia is the fear of being lost or getting lost and happens more often than you would think. Even with GPS and map programs, we can still be afraid of being lost.

Claustrophobia - Claustrophobia is essentially the fear of small spaces or being closed in with no escape. This is a specific situational phobia and can easily become a full-blown panic attack. It is triggered by an intense fear of being in an area that is small, overcrowded, or has no immediate exit. I can attest to this fear and how helpless you can feel during an attack.

Agoraphobia - This one is usually classified as a fear of leaving your home. However, I have discovered that it really is a fear of having a panic attack. For people who suffer from agoraphobia, they will do anything and everything to avoid the embarrassment and pain of a panic or anxiety attack. This phobia can be the most devastating to a person’s life.

Symptoms of Travel Phobias

As different as grains of sand every person will experience different symptoms. However, you are more than likely to experience several of the ones listed below.

You may experience:

Shortness of breath

Stomach aches

Diarrhea

Sweating

Shakes

Numbness in limbs

Headaches

Crying

Chest pains

Increased heart rate

Help with Travel Phobia

Knowledge is the best power you can hold to help yourself with phobias. The more you know about your affliction the better apt you are to overcome it.

Professional Assitance is your very best option. Never be ashamed or afraid to ask for help. Phobias are scary, intense and immobilizing. Meeting with a medical professional, counselor or phycologist is a great step in improving your mental health.

Hypnosis offers some assistance with phobias it truly allows you to relax enough to accept subtle changes in your mental capabilities. Again this one requires a certified professional and may take more than one visit.

Self-exposure therapy is probably the best way to overcome phobias. This therapy puts you into a situation to trigger your travel phobia. This needs to be done in small and controlled sessions. Professional assistance is highly advised for this therapy.

About the Author

My name is Tammy Staley, owner, and operator of Mid-life Milestones and Milestones Travels. I am an avid traveler and ketogenic follower. My joy is helping others discover how exciting travel truly can be. Making milestone memories every day is a passion. I do hope you enjoyed this article on common travel fears. To learn more about the top 5 travel phobias please check out the full articles at Milestone Travels. Thank you for taking the time to read about the 5 common travel phobias I look forward to your comments.